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I just couldn’t resist posting this for some light hearted humour.
This video is from the BBC classic comedy series ‘Fawlty Towers’. In this little snippet, Basil Fawlty decides to teach Manuel a thing or two about his own language, Spanish, and of course in true classic Basil Fawlty style, he falls short of that task!
Hope you enjoy, and remember, this is NOT how to speak Spanish!!
You know when you are back in the UK when;
Every road seems to have been dug up for some sort of repair or another – causing traffic mayhem and general annoyance.
The temperatures become colder towards Spring than warmer – snow has again been promised.
Jeremy Kyle (a morning talk show similar to Steve Wilkos), is classed as entertainment.
People insist on wearing nothing but ‘sports’ wear even though they never actually partake in ANY sports activity.
Adverts constantly tell you how to win millions on gambling and then advise on fast track loans – logic please!
Young men think it is OK to assault young girls in front of onlookers in a busy supermarket. Great to pay witness to that whilst buying your Brussels Sprouts. Yes, I did intervene too.
Insurance companies think it is OK to refund you peanuts after a burglary – though you have paid for years on a policy for such an eventuality.
The Chancellor Of The Exchequer lowers the prices of alcohol instead of increasing people’s salaries, or anything else remotely useful.
You can wait forever to have a Doctor’s appointment, as the Receptionists feel they are the medical experts, and know YOU are not an emergency!
People say thank you even when they are being practically smacked in the face!
These are things that make Britain ‘Great’ – yipppppeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
According to a study undertaken by the University of Glasgow; 2000 people diagnosed with Depression have made considerable steps towards feeling ‘better’, and have been able to manage their Depression with only the use of self help books.
Yes, the humble SELF HELP BOOK.
However, maybe these books aren’t the miracle they are being deemed to be as half of the studies participants were also receiving Anti-Depressants too.
So, is it possible that a few months with a self help book as your companion, and a a couple of sessions with an adviser (who informs you how to get the most out of this literature), really be the ultimate ‘cure’?
Well, the NHS think so. They seem willing to invest in this treatment, and no wonder as it is claimed this approach could save the NHS £272m and the public sector £700m. A considerable sum of money.
Yet is this just another quick fix being employed to rid the NHS of waiting lists for much needed Psychological treatments?
After all medications are readily prescribed by GPs to those patients waiting, and waiting, and waiting for therapies such as counselling. So perhaps another prescription, albeit in the form of self books wouldn’t be that unusual.
The truth is though that the demand for Psychological treatments is so extreme that the NHS cannot keep up with the referrals being made, and the investment required. Anti-Depressants, or any prescription can be used as a stop gap, a plaster for a deeper wound; therefore removing people from any waiting list which would lead to more money being spent. Yet, wouldn’t the cost be less if the true and deep seated issues were actually being addressed instead of bypassed by drugs and books?
These Anti-Depressant prescriptions actually cost the NHS £16m, but these drugs solve none of the patients real issues; 2 thirds of patients don’t respond to the medication at all. So, why are the NHS willing to waste more money on a dead end, but not a ‘cure’ which Psychological therapies can provide?
How can self help books therefore be contenders, when it has been proven that therapies like CBT are actually what is required?
Is it a case of considering a joined up response? What doesn’t work for one may indeed be beneficial to another? Perhaps; as everyone responds differently to different treatments. Or, maybe it is another save money quick scam.
WHAT DO YOU THINK??? SHARE WITH ME YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS COMPLEX TOPIC…….
Would you be happy for your GP to prescribe a self help book instead of CBT???
Have self help books worked for you??
Do you think medication alone is the answer??
Is it right that the NHS should cut its funding for Psychological therapies??
HAVE YOUR SAY NOW!
A recent report investigated claims that foreign ‘health tourists’ are able to buy their way onto UK NHS patient lists with GP surgeries.
Apparently these cases of bribery aren’t a one off, but an epidemic. BBC’s Panorama sent undercover reporters to various GP surgeries, where they posed as ‘health tourists’. These reporters subsequently managed to buy their way onto GP lists for substantial amounts of money. They were then referred to hospitals for treatment, even though their complaints were not critical emergencies.
Every health tourist who pays a GP or Health Centre to be registered is handing their money over illegally, and depriving a UK citizen of treatment. The NHS is based on entitlement; as a UK resident you have access to the system, it has nothing to do with how much cash you cough up. This illegal act is heinous enough, but the fact that it then leads to abuse of, an advantage taking of an already under-strain system, is disgusting. People wait long enough for hospital referrals, and to have treatment; even then the service is slow and poor. There is also the post code lottery to contend with; what treatment and medication received depends on where you live in the country! Yet, ‘health tourists’ don’t have this concern, but they are not even UK residents!
People in the UK pay National Insurance to be included in the health system, but they have no privileges. Why then should a health tourist?! This abuse of paying for registration to gain access to the NHS should be dealt with swiftly, before such precious resources are drained dry from the UK residents. Where are the tighter and tougher independent checks, controls and regulations for surgeries to adhere to, to prevent abuses of power? Who is checking on the NHS to make sure money isn’t being wasted and resources aren’t being misused? I mean, it is only a billion pound a year to keep the NHS ticking over, shoddy as it is; but hey that is OK, we have money and resources to waste. The NHS is open to everyone without one question being asked! It seems the NHS believes it has money to burn!
If you are not eligible for free treatment then you should be paying for it, it is that simply surely?! Yet, it is estimated that over the last 3 years health tourism has been allowed to get away with depriving the NHS of over £40 million! It is law that a person has to have been living in the UK for the last year to receive free treatment; although GP surgeries, walk in surgeries and A&E services can overlook this if the case is deemed severe, infectious or life threatening. Hospitals should check a patient’s residential status to ensure they live in the UK, but they don’t; in fact 133 Hospital Trusts didn’t check at all! A mistake, well not one to be forgiven when it has cost the country millions!
People who venture to the UK just to take advantage of what they believe to be another ‘free’ system available for them to abuse should be stopped. It is unfair to expect UK residents to continue paying into a system that is so poorly regulated, and so often abused. Would any other billion pound business be so lax in their regulations and accounts? NO! People in the UK are already paying into the system and hoping they will receive good treatment, but every year the satisfaction with service declines, as money leaks from the NHS. Now one of the reasons for such leakage has been revealed it should be fixed immediately. The NHS’s belt needs tightening, or UK residents will continue to lose out.
The sign says it all!
Copy Right Notice:
© Bex Houghagen and The Savvy Senorita, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Bex Houghagen and The Savvy Senorita with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Which came first, intelligence or happiness?
According to UK research completed by University College London; lower intelligence will signify more unhappiness in life, those who display higher intelligence will be happier.
In a study comprising of 6,870 people; the participants who answered they were ‘very happy’, were those people with an IQ of 120 to 129. However, the highest proportion claiming they were ‘not too happy’ was found in people with an IQ of 70 to 79. People with lower intelligence were reporting that they felt significantly unhappy in their lives.
Has this study found a correlation between intelligence and happiness? Lower intelligence was linked to; lower incomes, worse health, worse mental health, and more feelings of powerlessness to complete even mundane activities. Are these feelings only associated with lower intelligence, or is there more involved such as social status?
In my experience the higher the intelligence of the person the more issues they have with mental health and unhappiness. Over thinking life, struggling to fit in and be accepted, dealing with personal issues alone, pressures of work and family, and being more aware of themselves and others. How many famous people; artists, musicians, politicians have been unhappy enough with their lives to commit suicide? Were these acts a result of a deficit in intelligence?
How has the intelligence of the participants in this University College London study been measured? IQ tests have come under fire in the decades gone by for being culturally and language specific; ignoring and not inclusive of the vast sections of society, experiences, and different cultures. They also focus heavily on Mathematics; if you have no head for sums you won’t perform well. What does an IQ test really prove?
What do you think about intelligence and happiness??? Are they reliant on one another or can you have one without the other?? What makes you happy? Is there a measure for this emotion? Is happiness a constant thing or fleeting? Is it your intelligence to blame for unhappiness?
Have a look at below link for further information:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19659985
Please leave your comments below, thanks 🙂
Copy Right Notice:
© Bex Houghagen and The Savvy Senorita, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Bex Houghagen and The Savvy Senorita with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The Savvy Senorita 